Friday, December 18, 2015

Cole Swindell's new single, "You Should Be Here," has gotten a tremendous response from fans and radio since it was released earlier this week. After being released on Monday morning (12/14), "You Should Be Here" became the #1 most added song on country radio the day it dropped and also topped the iTunes Country chart and was in the iTunes Top 10 All Genre.

Immediately after hearing the song, thousands of Swindell's fans also responded to its heartfelt message by sharing their personal stories via Twitter and Facebook using the "#YouShouldBeHere" hashtag.

Cole told Rolling Stone on Monday about the response the song had already had, "It's only been a couple of hours and the stuff I'm already reading, it's unbelievable. This is a new experience for me. I've experienced four hit songs but nothing like this and it's only been since this morning." Swindell wrote "You Should Be Here" about his father who passed away in 2013, and the video for the song, which also debuted this week, documents his first visit to cemetery where his father is buried. That video can be seen here. The song is the lead single from Cole's forthcoming sophomore studio album.

RISING STAR AWARD - KELSEA BALLERINI

Kelsea Balleriniwas the recipient of the "Rising Star" award at Billboard's prestigious Women In Music event held at New York City's Cipriani last Friday (12/11). Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott joined Ballerini at the celebration to present her with the award alongside Billboard's Woman of the Year Lady Gaga and fellow honorees Loretta Lynn, Missy Elliott, Fifth Harmony, Selena Gomez, Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard, Tori Kelly, Demi Lovato and Lana Del Rey.

Fans will have a chance to see Kelsea accept the "Rising Star" award as well as perform, when the event airs tonight (12/18) at 8 PM ET on Lifetime. Ballerini has had a big 2015, earning her first AMA, CMA and CMT award nominations this year and also topping the chart for the first time with her debut single "Love Me Like You Mean It." Kelsea will close out the year and ring in 2016 with a live performance in Nashville at the annual "Bash on Broadway: New Year's Eve in Music City." The celebration will also feature performances by Kings Of Leon and Chris Stapleton.

COAT OF MANY COLORS RE-AIRING - DOLLY PARTON

If you didn't have a chance to see Dolly Parton's faith-based original movie Coat of Many Colors when it aired on NBC last week, you'll have a second chance gather your family around to watch it. NBC will air an encore special presentation of the TV movie on Christmas Day (12/25) at 9 PM ET, and Dolly couldn't be more excited about it. Parton shares, "I hoped to bring some families together so they could sit and watch a move like this. I really wanted to celebrate the people, my whole family, who made me who and what I am today. I'm so blessed and thankful for everyone who watched and I hope this story reaches many, many more when NBC shows it Christmas night."

Coat of Many Colors got big ratings when it premiered last Thursday (12/10), with nearly 13 million viewers tuning into the initial broadcast. Variety also reported that Coat of Many Colors drew the largest audience for an original movie on the "Big Four" networks -- ABC, CBS and NBC and FOX -- since 2011. The film takes place in the Tennessee Great Smoky Mountains in 1955 and is based on the incidents in Parton's life around the time she was nine years old. The film stars Jennifer Nettles as Dolly's mother and young actress Alyvia Lind as a nine-year-old version of the country star.

"HIGH CLASS" COLLEGE FOOTBALL - ERIC PASLAY

Eric Paslay's current single "High Class" will be featured in the upcoming ESPN/ABC College football postseason. The song can be heard during bumps, montages and promos of ESPN networks' college football bowl game coverage from now through the end of 2015.

One of the games Paslay's single will be featured on is the inaugural Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl that kicks off bowl season tomorrow (12/19) at 12:00 PM ET on ABC.

Eric said, "You have to be a high class player, with a high class team and especially high class fans to make it to the college football postseason. Congratulations to all of these guys on an incredible season and I know I'll be watching these games…with my shades on."

"High Class" was the most added song on country radio when it debuted in October. Paslay co-wrote the tune with Corey Crowder and Jesse Frasure.

A California couple gave a whole new meaning to organized crimeby getting arrested on theft charges -- while carrying a to-do list that included an entry reading "steal mail and shoplift."

Gary Withers and Kristina Green were pulled over by cops after an Amazon delivery driver phoned 911 to report that two people were tailing his truck and picking up the packages he'd been leaving along his route. Deputies searched their vehicle and found “a carful of stuff,” including five stolen packages and mail addressed to more than a dozen addresses.

Besides the pilfered packages, cops found a stash of meth, a loaded gun and the shopping list, which was hand-scrawled on a sheet of notebook paper.

REINDEER-DRAWN BEER SLEIGH...YES, PLEASE...

If you're in England and you see a reindeer-driven sleigh carrying packages, it's not Father Christmas delivering gifts for all you little boys and girls. It's better.

A local brewery is “lowering its carbon hoofprint” by delivering kegs of beer directly to pubs via reindeer. Box Steam Brewery has two reindeer named Comet and Cupid, and these beer-hauling animals started working earlier this week. Their first delivery was to a pub five miles away.

But they're looking to expand the service. The managing director of the brewery says, "We'd be delighted to export to the North Pole, and we can lend a helping hand if there happened to be any large-scale gift distribution businesses in that region experiencing a seasonal rush."

SHOP WITH A COP PROGRAM LANDS MAN IN JAIL

An annual Kentucky state police program invites kids to do some holiday shopping with troopers, but it landed one of the kids' fathers in jail for shoplifting.

The state police hold the Shop With a Trooper program to give back to the community and show kids that police officers aren't bad people. But while one kid walked around a Walmart store picking out toys with a trooper, his dad was walking out of the store with a drill he hadn't paid for. A store employee caught him leaving with the item and immediately notified the officers inside, who placed him under arrest.

The state police say they're appalled by what happened but will continue the Shop With a Trooper program.

Dang!!! Jim from "The Office" got all buff. Actor John Krasinski is the cover boy this monthfor Men's Health magazine. He's showing off his buff new physique after packing on a eye popping 25 pounds of muscle for his new film "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi". In the interview he says that his training for the role was "brutal at times". The issue is available now.

COURTENEY COX: REBOUNDING TO THE BATCAVE?

She just split from her rocker fiance, but it didn't take long for Courteney Cox to find someone else to make beautiful music with. She's reportedly back in the arms of ex-beau Michael Keaton.

The Friends star got dumped by Snow Patrol bassist Johnny McDaid back in September, but regrouped quickly, and has now rekindled her romance with Keaton, who she dated back in the '90s. One of the actress's pals says, “The spark between Courteney and Michael is still there. They’re very comfortable together. He’s making her feel good about herself again. They’re making up for lost time."

And it looks like an old Friend played matchmaker. "On Jennifer Aniston’s suggestion, Michael called her. Once Courteney got over the shock, it was like they’d never been apart.

Courteney has regretted walking out on Michael years ago, and she’s grateful he’s giving her a second chance."

BEN AFFLECK: HIS MOM JOINS TEAM JEN

Ben Affleck couldn't go running to his mom when he and Jennifer Garner called it quits -- because she's totally on Team Jennifer.

A source close to the couple says "[Ben's mom] Christine has always been close to Jennifer throughout her roller-coaster 10-year marriage to Ben, and the two women aren’t letting the possibility of divorce come between them.

Ben’s mother has chosen sides and she’s letting everyone know she’s with Team Jennifer. His mother chastised him about his behavior and told him if he loses Jennifer he’s making the biggest mistake of his life."

Ben and Jen split up earlier this year amid allegations that he was sleeping with their nanny.

KRIS JENNER: FIRES ENTIRE SECURITY TEAM

This is the way President Obama should have dealt with his Secret Service detail -- Kris Jenner has fired her entire security team.

According to TMZ, Kris is none too happy that a crazed Kardashian super-fan managed to get into her house this week, and so she's given everyone the heave-ho. And since North and Saint West were at home at the time, Kanye West is equally displeased. So until Kris is able to bring in new personnel, he's handling security. His team is made up of a legion of off-duty cops.

The West family has been staying with Kris since Saint came home from the hospital -- it's a temporary arrangement.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Kenny Chesney is the only country act featured on Billboard's "Top 5 Touring Acts of 2015," making the list alongside Taylor Swift, One Direction, U2 and the Rolling Stones. Kenny played just 57 dates on his "Big Revival Tour" this year and rocked more than 1.3 million fans, putting him in third place behind British boy band One Direction, who finished second with more than 2.3 million tickets sold for 80 shows.

Coming in at #1 was Swift, who played for over 1.9 million fans during her 71 shows. Chesney says, "Every year when we hit the road, I'm trying to figure out how to bring it harder, play more music and make it a night the people who live their lives in the songs will remember. We've been doing this enough years, that you know you have to really bring it to just compete with what you've already done."

Kenny will hit the road again next year on his "Spread the Love Tour 2016," which kicks off April 23 at Auburn University's Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. The tour will feature special guestsMiranda Lambert, Sam Hunt and Old Dominion.

2016 ACM PARTY FOR A CAUSE FESTIVAL

The lineup for the 4th ACM Party For A Cause Festival in 2016 has been announced, and it's a big one! The 3-day festival leading up to next year's 51st Annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas will be headlined by Carrie Underwood on Friday, April 1, Dierks Bentley on Saturday, April 2, and Kenny Chesney on Sunday, April 3 – the day of the annual award show. The festival will take place at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, and will feature additional Main Stage performances byFrankie Ballard, Kelsea Ballerini, Lee Brice, Cam, Sam Hunt, Chris Janson, Dustin Lynch, Kip Moore, Kellie Pickler, Chris Stapleton, Chris Young, Maddie & Tae, and Old Dominion. Some of the other acts slated to take The Party Stage during the event include Lauren Alaina, Chase Bryant, Lindsay Ell, Jana Kramer, Chris Lane, Granger Smith, Brothers Osborne, Kelleigh Bannen, and Jackson Michelson. More acts will be announced for both stages in the coming months.

Ticket proceeds from the ACM Party For A Cause Festival benefit the Academy's charitable arm, ACM Lifting Lives. The 51st Annual ACM Awards will take place on April 3, 2016, and will be broadcast live on CBS at 8:00 PM ET. Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley will co-host the ceremony.

NEW KIDDOS – THE BAND PERRY

The Band Perry's Kimberly Perryand her husband, professional baseball player J. P. Arencibia, have welcomed new "kiddos" to their family. Just to be clear, the couple don't have any human children yet; the "kiddos" they welcomed are of the furry variety.

Kimberly took to Instagram to share a picture of two adorable puppies -- which look a lot like Labrador Retrievers -- standing side by side on an armchair. In the picture, one puppy looks straight at the camera, while the other one sniffs the armchair. Perry said in the photo's caption, "@jparencibia44 and I would like to introduce u to our new kiddos. Ladies and Gents meet Moose and Bear." Kimberly also took to Twitter yesterday (12/16) to share a picture of Moose taking a nap. She said in the caption, "Everyone say hi to #MOOSE today! Zzzz."

In other TBP news, it was recently announced that the sibling trio will perform during the upcoming Miss Universe pageant, which airs live on Sunday (12/20) at 6 PM cst on FOX. The show will be hosted by Steve Harvey and will also feature performances by Seal and Charlie Puth.

PLENTY OF HOLIDAY TV OPTIONS FOR COUNTRY MUSIC FANS!

Country fans, pop some corn, fire up the tube and settle in on the couch -- there's plenty to watch the next week or so.

NBC’s Coat of Many Colors re-airs on Christmas Day at 9 p.m. CST. The December 10th premiere attracted 13 million viewers. The special stars Jennifer Nettles, Alyvia Alyn Lind and Rick Schroder.

A Florida man had his eye on a couple of big-screen TVs on display at Wal-Mart, but when he tried to swipe them, he almost put out that eye -- by dropping them onto his face as he tried to get away.

Marcelo Mastroianni loaded a 55-inch set and a 60-inch model into a shopping cart, then swung by sporting goods, where he stuck a BB gun into his pocket. The 38-year-old wheeled the cart out the door without paying, but when he tried to load up his car, he fell and ended up smashing both boxes into his right eye.

In a strange twist, a worker who thought Mastroianni had paid for the sets started to help him pick them up -- but his girlfriend, who was waiting in the car, revealed that she thought he forgot to pay for them. The worker called cops, who met the shoplifter at a nearby hospital, where he was treated for a fractured eye socket.

Mastroianni is charged with felony grand theft.

WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE:

A Florida man wanted to earn some good karma by visiting a pal in jail -- but ended up creating bad "car-ma" by crashing his auto through the building while high on drugs.

Patrick Rempe caused a huge commotion when he rammed his Toyota into the front doors of Building C at Indian County Jail in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. When the vehicle wouldn't move, Rempe hopped out and tried to climb a fence, but ended up getting tangled in the razor wire and spitting on officers who tried to free him.

The 22-year-old, who was babbling semi-coherently, told corrections officers he only wanted to get into the facility to visit a friend. He may get a chance to spend some quality time with the pal, since he faces charges including aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, felony criminal mischief and driving under the influence.

HOLD THE SPIT:

Cops in Louisiana arrested a Dairy Queen employee after he served a burger to a police officer who didn't appreciate the extra topping he didn't ask for.

The officer ordered a burger and thought something looked a little fishy. He saw what appeared to look like spit on top of the bun, and after checking out the surveillance footage, he noticed that the employee who'd served him -- 21-year-old Elijah Johnson -- took the bun aside, spit on it, and then served it. Making matters even worse, and more disgusting, is that Johnson also allegedly suffers from herpes.

Johnson was arrested and booked on counts including mingling harmful substances.

THIS GUY IS MAID FOR JAIL

Authorities in Florida busted up a prostitution ring and made 95 arrests, but one john in particular has gotten a lot of attention.

68-year-old David Marsh answered an online ad posted by an undercover police officer and rode his bicycle to a nearby hotel, where he "solicited the undercover female detective to dominate him." Police say he rode his bike because his driver's license had been taken away after a previous drunk driving arrest.

Officers stormed the hotel room and surprised Marsh, who was standing there wearing a French maid's outfit, a chastity belt and a dog collar around his neck. They arrested hum for soliciting prostitution -- and made sure to snap a photo of him in his get-up to share with the Internet.

Advance ticket sales for Star Wars: The Force Awakens has exceeded all records.

More than $100 million have already been spent for the latest installment of the popular franchise with the vast majority for the debut weekend. Though theaters must promise to play the film for five weeks, at a minimum.

One record Star Wars will not break is the biggest premiere weekend, which still belongs to The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Five years ago, it played on almost 4,500 screens. Star Wars will open on only 4,100.

CONGRATS TO THE ROCK AND LAUREN HASHIAN

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his girlfriend, Lauren Hashian, are the parents of their first child together. The little girl was born the morning of December 16.

“So grateful and in awe of this time,” Hashian wrote when posting an Instagram photo.

Johnson has a 14-year-old daughter, Simone, with ex-wife Dany Garcia.

HAS BAR REFAELI BEEN DODGING THE TAX MAN?

Even the beautiful people have to pay their taxes.

Israeli authorities have accused supermodel Bar Refaeli of not reporting tens of millions of dollars of income earned outside the country. They say she also failed to report non-monetary income, such as a couple of cars she got in a modeling deal. And they allege she owes taxes on her luxury apartment in Tel Aviv.

The tax collectors also say that Bar's mother has been skipping out on her tax bill.

SCREECH IS HEADING TO JAIL:

Former Saved by the Bell star Dustin Diamond has withdrawn his appeal of his conviction and will begin serving a four-month jail sentence next month.

The 38-year-old actor, known best for his role as Screech on the show, was convicted of stabbing a man in a Wisconsin bar fight last Christmas. Diamond claimed the stabbing was accidental and simply pulled the knife to scare the man off. He was convicted of disorderly conduct and carrying a concealed weapon. He will report to jail on January 15th.

The blonde bombshell is reportedly livid about finding out that her country star beau is back in contact with ex-wife Miranda Lambert -- when she "accidentally" found texts between them on Blake's phone.

The spy went on to insist that there's no split on the horizon, though. “He’s assured her he has true feelings for her. Blake went on to tell Gwen that Miranda was just 'being crazy' by texting him."

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Dierks Bentley has been confirmed as Luke Bryan's new co-host at the 51st Annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas next spring. The official announcement came a day after Entertainment Tonight released a video hinting that the Bentley might be Blake Shelton'sreplacement at next year's ceremony. The video showed Luke sitting in a bar telling a mystery bartender that he needs a new ACM co-host. The unknown bartender – who sounded just like Dierks – then handed Bryan a beer and told him, "Well, tip that on back, I'm sure you'll find your answer." Now, another hilarious video has been released showing the extended version of what happened when Luke walked into the bar that day. The new video includes an appearance by Bentley dressed up as the airline pilot character from his "Drunk on a Plane" video as well as him performing incognito in the 90's country cover band, Hot Country Knights.

Bryan says of his new ACM co-host, "When we found ourselves searching for a new co-host I didn't have to look much further than my own circle of friends so Dierks was a natural choice. We have a lot of fun together and I know the fans will be in for something special." Dierks adds, "I think everyone knows Luke is the guy you call when you want to have a good time. If we have half as much fun hosting together as we do backstage, it's going to be a great night." The date for the 51st Annual ACM Awards has also been confirmed as Sunday, April 3, 2016, with the show being broadcast live on CBS at 8:00 PM ET. The forthcoming ceremony will return to Sin City after being held at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, earlier this year to mark the show's 50th anniversary. Next year's ceremony will mark Luke's fourth consecutive turn hosting the ACM Awards, and Bentley's first time hosting a live televised event.

ARCHERY KART BATTLE - LUKE BRYAN VS. DUDE PERFECT

Luke Bryan has joined the guys from the popular trick-shot YouTube channel Dude Perfect in their latest video: Archery Kart Battle. In the video, Bryan shows off his archery skills as he battles two other teams navigating through an obstacle course in golf carts with four balloons attached to them. Each of the teams consists of two members, with one person driving the golf cart and the other one shooting arrows at the opposing teams' balloons in an attempt to pop them. The "Strip It Down" singer suits up in full protective gear and takes the backseat in the golf cart to shoot arrows for the "Red Team." Luke makes some pretty good shots and pops a few of his rival's balloons, but his team is ultimately the first one eliminated from the contest. Check out the video below.

CAM TOPS ROLLING STONES 25 BEST LIST

As this year winds down, Rolling Stone is looking back and ranking the top 25 singles to hit country radio in 2015. Here's how the top 10 on the list stacked up...

1. Cam - Burning House

2. Eric Church - Mr. Misunderstood

3. Jason Isbell - 24 Frames

4. Chris Stapleton - Traveller

5. Chris Janson - Buy Me A Boat

6. Dierks Bentley - Riser

7. Keith Urban - John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16

8. The Cadillac 3 - White Lightning

9. Jana Kramer - I Got The Boy

10. Luke Bryan - Strip It Down

The full list of Rolling Stone's "25 Best Country Songs of 2015" can be seen here.

FAITH HILL TO BE HONORED BY MISSISSIPPI:

Faith Hill will get a marker on the the Mississippi Country Music Trail on December 19th at the corner of Main and Mangum Streets in her hometown of Star.

Faith says, "Growing up, my friends and I would hang out in the parking lot after church at Star Baptist Church, planning our lives and sharing our dreams. Having my marker near that church makes it even more special for me."

The marker will be the trail's 30th. Other notables on the trail include Tammy Wynette, Marty Stuart, Jimmie Rogers and Conway Twitty.

An elderly Florida woman got a real wake-up call when she slid out of bed on Sunday morning and walked right into a young female intruder -- who was wearing her husband's pajamas!

Eryn Rice told the unnamed victim that she was a sleepwalker and didn't know how she'd gotten into the house, where she took a nap and did a load of laundry before slipping into the man's PJs. The older woman felt sorry for Rice and gave her a bowl of cereal for breakfast, and when her husband returned from playing golf, they decided to drive the 22-year-old home.

The couple flagged down a cop car after dropping Rice off, and when they explained what happened, the officer told them the woman matched the description of a shoplifter who'd escaped from handcuffs after trying to steal several hundred dollars worth of cosmetics from a nearby drug store. Rice was arrested a short time later at her home.

THIS KID WILL GET A LUMP OF COAL FOR CHRISTMAS:

A 12-year-old boy in Florida has not only landed on Santa's "naughty list," his name is written in red boldface and highlighted with arrows pointed at it.

The unnamed boy was arrested last Friday after he stole an 89-year-old man's car from a gas station. A surveillance camera caught the boy on his bike as he rode up to the man's car and told him that one of his tires looked low. As the elderly man got out of the car to inspect the tire, the boy ditched his bike, hopped into the car and sped off. Cops caught up to him a short while later and arrested him for grand theft auto.

Shockingly, this is the kid's 20th arrest. Most of his crimes have been auto thefts.

DRIVING TEST TURNS OUT TO BE A BIG PAIN IN THE....GLASS..

There are so many ways to fail a driving test, but perhaps none more spectacular than this.

A woman in Washington state was doing just fine on her road test and looking forward to getting her license. She signaled when merging lanes, proceeded correctly into an intersection to make a left turn, and even parallel parked with no problem. But she just couldn't tell the difference between the gas pedal and brake pedal right at the end of the test -- and wound up driving the car right into the front window of the driving school.

The instructor might be willing to forgive some minor things, but not this. She failed the test.

FAKE COP MEETS REAL COP, GUESS HOW THIS TURNS OUT...

A fake Florida cop, with a fake police car and a fake badge, is in real trouble after he pulled over a real cop with a real badge.

24-year-old Joshua Lynam was driving along Interstate 110 when he pulled up behind a car and turned on his red and white flashing lights. The driver of the other car pulled over and waited for Lynam to approach his window. When he did, the driver of the car identified himself as a police officer and asked Lynam to do the same. Of course, he couldn't, because he's not a real cop.

The real officer, Andrew Hobbs, was driving an unmarked car and put an end to Lynam's shenanigans by placing him under arrest for impersonating an officer. Lynam is actually suspected in a number of other false traffic stops.

JORDAN SMITH WINS SEASON 9 OF "THE VOICE"

Jordan Smith was named the newest winner of “The Voice” Tuesday night. Emily Ann Roberts came in second, while Barret Baber and Jeffery Austin completed the final four vocalists.

Smith, who is 21, was coached by Adam Levine. His parents were on hand to watch their son win the competition. The family is from Harlan, Kentucky and he is a student at Lee University.

The singer has already had one of his songs hit the top of the iTunes chart, and now his Christmas tune, “Mary Did You Know?” is at the top once again.

“The Voice” will return for season 10 in 2016. It has already been announced that Christina Aguilera will return as a judge while Gwen Stefani takes a break to record new music.

JARED FOGLE WILL APPEAL HIS PRISON SENTENCE

Former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle will file an appeal asking for a reduction in his 15-year prison sentence for sex with minors and possessing child pornography.

The disgraced sandwich hawker originally agreed to waive his right to an appeal as long as his sentence didn’t exceed 12-and-a-half years, but the judge wasn't bound to that agreement and issued a longer sentence. Fogle's lawyers will file official papers before a Chicago court by the end of next month.

MRS. JOHNNY DEPP TO STAND TRIAL FOR DOG SMUGGLING

Amber Heard's dog smuggling case will be heard by an Australian court in April.

"Mrs. Johnny Depp" will stand trial for sneaking her two dogs, Boo and Pistol, into Australia last May to avoid a mandatory quarantine. Her four-day jury trial will begin April 18th.

PARIS HILTON THE NEW SWISS MISS?

Paris Hilton has spent most of the last seven months living with her boyfriend in Switzerland and says she wants to make it her permanent home.

The 34-year-old hotel heiress says she's fallen in love with the country while living their with her millionaire Austrian boyfriend, Thomas Gross, and now wants to be Swiss. She says, "I just love everything about this country. The people are so lovely, the food is excellent and the scenery beautiful." Paris and her entrepreneur boyfriend met last year at the Cannes Film Festival.